Brave New Sakura

[Mulboyne]

KIPPO: Cloned cherry to bloom in Fushimi, Kyoto City
Some drooping branch cherry trees grown with clone biotechnology started to bloom at the Daigoji Temple in Fushimi Ward, Kyoto City, well known for cherry blossoms and the place where Toyotomi Hideyoshi (1537-1598) organized gorgeous Hanami (cherry blossoms-viewing party). The parent tree at the estimate age of 150 is called 'Togyu's Sakura' because Japanese painter Togyu Okumura painted it in his work 'Daigo.' Since it is old and feared to be dead, the Sumitomo Forestry Tsukuba Research Institute in Tsukuba City, Ibaraki Prefecture, began to grow its child tree in 1998 using clone biotechnology. In March 2004, the cloned drooping branch cherry tree bloomed for the first time in the world and was moved to the Daigoji Temple's precincts in November the same year. It is now 4.5 meters tall, and its trunk is 33 meters long. Recently, a Buddhist service was held at the temple to pray for a success in its transplantation at the temple and its smooth growth